This study reviews U.S. Spanish-language broadcast networks' prime time programming content targeted to the Latino youth audience. It explores the relationship between the Latino youth and prime time programming by Spanish-language broadcast networks and how they seek to attract this market as is reflected in the characteristics and quantity of their content and preferred formats by using the strategic management theory. This study identifies the amount and type of prime time programming that was catered to the Latino youth audience between 2003 and 2012 by the three major Spanish-language networks: Univision, Telemundo, and Telefutura. An observed pattern reveals that prime time programming targeting Latino teenagers is relatively smaller and older in comparison to programming delivered through the general programming.

This study is based on perceptions of risk behaviors for migrant Latino youth who participate in an after school program. Currently, there is no known research on perceptions of risk behaviors for migrant youth. There is plenty of research on after school program and how they are helpful in reducing or even preventing risk behaviors in adolescence. Fourteen migrant Latino youth between age's 10-18 grades 4-12 were studied. Participants attended the Illinois Council Migrant Technology Learning Center during after school hours between three and six p.m. A Q sort survey was given to each participant for collection of quantitative data. At the bottom of the q sort survey, qualitative questions were asked to gather qualitative data. Analysis of the data showed that the majority of the participants (n=12) comprised factor one, positive behaviors while only two participants comprise factor two, risk behaviors. Qualitative data revealed that participants felt the Technology Learning Center (TLC) is a good place to complete homework, socialize with friends, and use the computers.

This study used the qualitative technique of focused interviewing to understand the educational and occupational aspirations of ten Latino youth and their parents in a small town in rural Utah. The qualitative nature of this study allowed for an in-depth look into each parent's aspirations for themselves and for their youth, each youth's aspirations, the barriers to aspirational attainment for both parents and youth, the perceived parental support in these families, and their perceived needs for aspirational attainment. This study used two open-ended interview forms and a 12- question demographic questionnaire to collect data from each of the 30 persons. This sample was made up of primarily Mexican immigrants, with five youth of each sex and a mean age of 14.6 years. Using modified analytic induction and the organizational capabilities of QSR NUD*IST, a qualitative software package, themes and subthemes were created from the interview transcripts. These themes were examined as to their interrelatedness within families, and in relation to all the families in the study. Most Latino parents' aspirations were found to transfer to their youth. However, only half of the parents were aware of their youth's aspirations, and few parents had discussed them with their youth. Though all parents wanted their youth to go to college, they did not know how to get them there. Parents felt that a lack of understanding of the pathway to their aspirations, a lack of English proficiency, and a lack of time were real barriers to realizing their aspirations. Youth and their parents indicated that parental educational support was rather limited due to parents' insufficient English abilities. Parents indicated that they needed education and access to information to achieve the aspirations they had for themselves. Continued work needs to be done to provide Latino families with additional education and training so that these families may attain their aspirations. Programs for youth and families are needed to help foster these aspirations and the understanding of how to achieve them.

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The career development trajectory of undocumented Latino youth can present unique challenges for school counselors. Undocumented Latino youth have few career choices due to holding different values from the majority culture, realistic fears of deportation, restrictions in obtaining lawful employment, and having an unconventional pathway to citizenship. The school counseling profession has been tasked with working with undocumented Latino students on issues of career development, despite these obstacles. The purpose of this qualitative dissertation was to build a stronger understanding of the unique experiences school counselors encounter when career counseling undocumented Latino students. Results from this research generated a theory into how school counselors work on issues of career development with this marginalized population. Results also offered a perspective in which school counselors can be trained on realistic and empowering methods that foster career development in undocumented Latino youth.

This study seeks to expand the scope of assimilation theory by integrating it with elements of routine activities theory to better understand what influence assimilation has in regard to violent victimization. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to determine whether or not differences in victimization rates between foreign-born and native-born Hispanic youth are related to variations in emotional guardianship. Emotional guardianship refers to the aspect of relationships (i.e., affection and communication) between Hispanic youth and their parents that serve to protect the youth from being victimized. I hypothesize that foreign-born Hispanics have greater emotional guardianship than native-born Hispanics, and as a result foreign-born Hispanics have lower probabilities of victimization. To test this hypothesis and others, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) is utilized, as it provides data about the various aspects of assimilation (e.g., country of birth, language spoken at home), routine activities (e.g., sports, clubs, and family outings), and emotional guardianship (e.g., communication of problems, expectations, and satisfaction of parental bond), which are each believed to contribute to the likelihood of being victimized.

The United States has the highest teen birth rate of any developed country in the world. In the period 2005-2010, the fertility rate for the United States was 41 births per 1,000 women ages 15-19, compared to 26 births in the United Kingdom, and 4 in Switzerland and The Netherlands. However, the teen birth rates in the United States vary considerably by race and ethnic group. National vital statistics data for 2009 report that the rate for Blacks is more than twice that of non-Hispanic Whites, and the rate for Latinas is almost three times as high. The difference within Latino groups is just as dramatic. The adolescent fertility rate per 1,000 for Cubans is 23.5, while for Puerto Ricans it is 61.67, and for Mexicans the rate is 78.7. Teen pregnancy and childbearing in the Mexican American population are issues of great concern because this ethnic group is the fastest growing population in the United States. The literature on teen childbearing among Latinos, and specifically among Mexican origin teens, tends to attribute the high rates to cultural differences. In this dissertation, I argue that the high rates of teen pregnancy cannot properly be attributed to "cultural" characteristics. Instead, I develop falsifiable hypotheses that are derived from theoretical frameworks which recognize the relationship between racial inequalities and teen fertility. I first test the social characteristics hypothesis to determine the effect that income and parents? education have on teen fertility. Second, I test if other characteristics such as religiosity, type of religion and views on teen pregnancy have an impact on predicting the odds of having a teen birth. Third, drawing on demographic literature, I ascertain whether educational experiences and aspirations to attend college are critical factors in predicting a teen birth. Last, I test if having a teen birth has the same impact for Mexican origin teens compared to Whites in terms of being able to obtain a college degree.

The current study is part of a larger program evaluation of Caminar Latino, a community-based organization that works with Latino families affected by domestic violence. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects that community-based programs have on children. We wanted to investigate the relationship between children’s knowledge of violence and their attitude towards it. We hypothesized that children who have more educational awareness of violence can better recognize it when it happens, and therefore have better coping skills. Sixteen Latino children were interviewed and results showed that there was no significant relationship between violence knowledge and attitudes. This study found correlations between the number of siblings and attitudes towards violence: The more siblings a child had, the more he/she endorsed “if you are mad at someone you can just ignore them” and the less likely he/she endorsed “you try to talk out a problem instead of fighting”. Findings show that it is important to consider siblings when exploring attitudes towards violence. The biggest limitation of this study was that these preliminary data’s sample size may have been too small to show effects. The current study is part of a larger program evaluation of Caminar Latino, a community-based organization that works with Latino families affected by domestic violence. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects that community-based programs have on children. We wanted to investigate the relationship between children’s knowledge of violence and their attitude towards it. We hypothesized that children who have more educational awareness of violence can better recognize it when it happens, and therefore have better coping skills. Sixteen Latino children were interviewed and results showed that there was no significant relationship between violence knowledge and attitudes. This study found correlations between the number of siblings and attitudes towards violence: The more siblings a child had, the more he/she endorsed “if you are mad at someone you can just ignore them” and the less likely he/she endorsed “you try to talk out a problem instead of fighting”. Findings show that it is important to consider siblings when exploring attitudes towards violence. The biggest limitation of this study was that these preliminary data’s sample size may have been too small to show effects.

abstract: Dating violence in ethnic minority populations is an understudied phenomenon and little attention has been paid to the experiences of Mexican American youth; less research has been done on how those experiences alter perceptions and acceptance of participation in prevention programs. This study advances knowledge on how Mexican American adolescents view dating violence prevention programs and how cultural beliefs and values may hinder or encourage effective participation. Focus groups (N = 9) were form with Mexican American youth aged 15-17 years separated by gender and acculturation status (Mexican Oriented/Bicultural/Anglo Oriented), as determined previously by acculturation scores measured by the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans (ARMSA; 0 or below = Mexican Oriented, 0-1 = Bicultural, 1 or above = Anglo Oriented). Several themes emerged throughout the focus group discussions that were derived from culturally-based needs. Mexican American adolescents made recommendations for program development (e.g., a broad curriculum beyond the topic of dating violence) and delivery (e.g., barriers to participation, the implications of peer involvement) within the context of their cultural values and needs. Low acculturated and bicultural teens identified specific cultural needs and their relevance within a dating violence prevention program. However, across all groups, adolescents felt that the needs of Mexican American youth were similar to other youth in regards to dating violence prevention programs. Implications for how social work can best design and implement prevention programs for Mexican American adolescents are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.W. Social Work 2011

abstract: Anxiety sensitivity (AS; the fear of anxiety-related bodily sensations) has been earmarked as a significant risk factor in the development and maintenance of pathological anxiety in adults and children. Given the potential implications of heightened AS, recent research has focused on investigating the etiology and developmental course of elevated AS; however, most of this work has been conducted with adults and is retrospective in nature. Data from college students show that early anxiety-related learning experiences may be a primary source of heightened AS levels, but it remains unclear whether AS in children is linked to their learning experiences (i.e., parental reinforcement, modeling, punishment, and/or transmission of information about anxiety-related behaviors). Based on AS theory and its iterations, an emerging theoretical model was developed to aid further exploration of the putative causes and consequences of heightened AS levels. Using a sample of 70 clinic-referred youth (ages 6 to 16 years old; 51.4% Hispanic/Latino), the present study sought to further explicate the role of learning in the development of AS and anxiety symptoms. Results suggest that childhood learning experiences may be an important precursor to heightened AS levels and, subsequently, increased experiences of anxiety symptoms. Findings also indicate that some youth may be more vulnerable to anxiety-related learning experiences and suggest that culture may play a role in the relations among learning, AS, and anxiety symptoms. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Psychology 2012